Noel Quinn

I’ve had what I think is the best job in the world for the last five years.
 
Leading HSBC has been an enormous honour.
 
I’m now delighted that I will hand over the stewardship of the bank to Georges Elhedery.
 
I’ve known Georges for almost 20 years. He understands the importance of putting our clients’ needs first, our heritage and our unique position in the world.
 
I wish Georges – and everyone who will write the next chapter in the history of this great bank – continued success in the months and years to come.

I was very sad to hear of the passing of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip led a life of service to countless noble causes, extending from the environment, to enterprise, to science and innovation. HSBC has been honoured to host Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip on a number of occasions, and the photograph below shows them both at our Hong Kong headquarters at 1 Queen’s Road Central in October 1986. In the photo, the Duke can be seen receiving a book which commemorated the opening of the headquarters the previous April. According to the staff newsletter that marked the visit, Prince Philip took the time to talk to tellers watching on from their banking counters. It is clear that his energy left a positive impression on all those he encountered – as it did throughout his life. We mourn his passing and celebrate his legacy.

Covid has had a deep and severe impact on all the communities we serve around the world, but the recent news reports from India have been of a magnitude that is alarming and distressing to us all.

Today I sent this note to our colleagues in India, setting out HSBC’s support for them all individually and also for the efforts across the country to fight the virus. The bank has committed $1.5m to UNICEF to support their work to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to countries on behalf of the COVAX facility, and will donate $10m this year to charities in India focused specifically on supporting Covid relief efforts.

We’ve also set up an easy way for anyone to make donations directly to GiveIndia, which will be used for critical healthcare and medical supplies, including oxygen. You can give here https://lnkd.in/gsW7uZS.

I was grateful to accept the Terra Carta seal from HRH the Prince of Wales earlier today in recognition of the work that HSBC is doing to create truly sustainable markets. His Royal Highness’s passion for the environment is well known, and it was a genuine honour to receive this on behalf of my colleagues.

You can read more here - https://lnkd.in/gCSA6qqb

The Sustainable Markets Initiative
#greenertogether

Today we’ve announced our third-quarter results. A heartfelt thank you to all my colleagues. In difficult circumstances, your dedication and commitment to our customers and each other has been outstanding, and demonstrate why it’s an honour for me to lead this bank.

I’m pleased with the way that our business has responded to a changing environment. The economic impacts of Covid-19 remain real, but there’s a lot of promise in our third quarter numbers. We’re making good progress in delivering the plan we promised last February, but we need to go faster and further to adapt HSBC to the new environment and capture the growth opportunities available to us in Asia. I’ll share more on this at our full year results in February.

To our customers - I know many of you still face challenges. We’re doing all we can to support and help you manage the uncertainty that remains. Many of you also see opportunities, and we’re here to help you invest and grow.

I’m optimistic for the future. To all of our customers and to my colleagues - thanks for all your support.

I joined HSBC UK’s Black History Month Awards last night. It was joyful, inspiring and celebratory – just great fun. My favourite part was hearing from some of the winners’ children about their aspirations for the future. They spoke with such clarity and honesty. They give great purpose to all that we do at HSBC, although it’s clear a couple of them want my job!

I’m so proud of all the award winners, and not just for their individual achievements. Collectively, they’ve given the entire UK Black and ethnic minority community in HSBC a voice that really resonates. As an organisation (and a leadership team) we haven’t always heard that voice - that’s down to us. But now we hear it loud and clear - and that’s down to them.

Yesterday, we released data on ethnicity in our UK and US businesses. It showed what we all knew – that we’ve got a long way to go, particularly to improve Black representation at senior levels. I don’t shy away from this. We need all colleagues to feel that a successful career at HSBC is achievable. We have a plan to build an environment that enables my Black colleagues – and those who follow them – to succeed, but now we have to execute it. Delivery speaks louder than promises.

Huge congratulations to all last night’s winners - and thanks for inviting me!